Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

37 reviews

aeriecircus's review

informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Child abuse, Incest, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Gun violence, Confinement, and Physical abuse

ginac's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

I don't generally go toward nonfiction books but this one read like a novel. Although it centers around a serious medical condition, it's also just a story about this family. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Medical content

Minor: Rape

thechocolatefinger's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

4.5

I read this for Psychology and it was very interesting book - with many studies and theories named.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault

Moderate: Self harm, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Suicide

The acts of rape/sexual assault to a child sibling were described, but not in too much detail, and in only a couple chapters. Everything is in 3rd person. The death of parent is described and talked about (like going to the funeral), but the death itself wasn’t described very in-detail and it was a natural death. There was also religious delusions (believing self to be God, and believing God was sending them a message). The school shootings was mentioned once, and a specific event wasn’t discussed.

lcg527's review against another edition

challenging informative sad tense slow-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death of parent

flowchelle's review

challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Murder

realpteradactyl's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Grief, Incest, Medical content, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

dustghosts's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Rape, Death of parent, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Incest, Sexual assault, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Addiction, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Child abuse

citrinuke's review

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Death

dashes101's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

My first 5 star review of this year. I was so not expecting this when I picked up Kolker's book. However, I was quickly thrown into a deep dive of the family: the boys battling their disorders as well as the stigma, the parents fighting to keep their family intact, the daughters' own trauma from growing up in the Galvin household. The book was harrowing, riveting, and impossible to put down. A fascinating mix between the research efforts of the time, and the personal story of the family blended perfectly. Not only does this book show the horrific tragedy of schizophrenia separating people from reality, it shows the hope of a family, the difficult choices we make in the face of hardship, and the healing process. There are so many things this book explores, and I can't put them all in a review: this is simply a must-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Ableism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Violence

nicolebliss's review

challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Incest